Mcmurran Dies After Long Illness

July 17, 1989

NEWPORT NEWS — Lewis Archer McMurran Jr., a business leader and politician who helped bring an English queen to Jamestown and a college to Newport News, died in his home early this morning after a lengthy illness. He was 75.

Mr. McMurran, a lifetime Democrat, has long been recognized by the community for his contributions to the area and the state.

For 30 years - 1948 to 1978 - he served in the General Assembly as a delegate representing Newport News.

During his tenure in the General Assembly, he built a formidable reputation as an advocate for the Peninsula. Former Del. L. Cleaves Manning, D-Portsmouth, once said, "He was here 30 years, and if he had six or eight years more, he would have had the capital moved to Newport News."

Devoted to history and English culture, Mr. McMurran was responsible for the creation of Jamestown Festival Park and for the 1957 celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.

He was instrumental in bringing Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to Jamestown for that event. The queen awarded him the Order of the British Empire in 1959.

But perhaps the contribution he considered his most important was his role in promoting education.

He is credited with establishing Christopher Newport College as a branch of the College of William and Mary in 1960, and later with helping to establish the Newport News college's independence from W&M.